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The Flying King
The Moravian-Silesian borderlands in Central Europe during the age of John of Luxembourg
16.12.2010 - 31.3.2011
An exhibition will be ceremoniously launched on 15 December 2010 at Ostrava Museum entitled “The flying King: The Moravian-Silesian borderlands in Central Europe during the age of John of Luxembourg,” created under the auspices of His Excellency Mons. Jan Graubner, the Archbishop of Olomouc, Mr. Petr Kajnar, the Mayor of the City of Ostrava, His Excellency František Václav Lobkowicz, the Bishop of Ostrava-Opava, and His Excellency Jean Faltz, the Ambassador of the Grand Duchy in the Czech Republic. The exhibition is part of the official celebrations marking the 700th anniversary of the ascension of the Luxembourg dynasty to the Czech throne.
The main curator and author, David Majer, and his team of experts have put together a project consisting
of a major publication and exhibit likewise entitled “The flying King: The Moravian-Silesian borderlands in Central Europe during the age of John of Luxembourg“.
The exhibit is divided into four basic segments.
The opening segment is called “The First Knight of Europe” and introduces John of Luxembourg as a brave knight and frequent participant in the tournaments and battles of that age, a warrior constantly on the move throughout Europe. A unique part of the exhibition will therefore consist of weapons and armor from the first half of the 14th century. The Battle of Crécy will also be on display in the form of a panoramic exhibit and animated film showing the course and tactics of the battle.
The second part deals with the archaeological and historical part of the exhibition, namely “Ostrava in the Middle Ages”. It will focus specifically on the Moravian-Silesian borderlands and the medieval history of both Ostravas (Silesian and Moravian), all of which will be presented in the context of the history of Moravia and Silesia during this period. On display will be archaeological finds, original documents and seals, mintages of John of Luxembourg (a silver groschen from Prague and a gold florin), and samples of architecture and sculpture.
The third part, entitled „The Foreign King”, will present Moravian and Silesian art from the first half of the 14th century synthesized with an extraordinary overlap of time and territory. Of particular interest should be the attempt to reconstruct the artistic environment of the court of the dowager queen Elizabeth Rejčka in Brno. There will be closely related artifacts on exhibit, even though the relationship between them has slowly disappeared since the end of the 14th century (the works of the master sculptor of the Michelské Madonna, manuscripts of Elizabeth Rejčka, architectural fragments from the Royal Chapel in Old Brno, and the transfer of local frescoes). Several luxurious codices of the Olomouc Chapter Library, together with the magnificent Gelnhausen Codex and Zbraslav Chronicle of Jihlava, will be exhibited for the first time.
Very attractive jewelry and handicrafts will be on display for the last segment, called “King and Diplomat”. The provenience of these items is quite varied and draws attention to the king’s diplomatic skills, which were highly prized during that era. The most interesting exhibits include part of the treasure of Středa, located in the Polish part of Silesia, and the crown of an unidentified queen, perhaps from the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. A collection of the royal funerary insignia of Přemysl Otakar II, the funeral crown of King Rudolph I, known as Porridge, and several items from the Dom Treasury in Aachen (the reliquary of St. Simeon and a silk fabric depicting griffens which Charles IV had the remains of Charlemagne wrapped up in) will also be on exhibit.
A Moravian and Silesian sepulchral sculpture will be presented for the first time within the framework of the collection.
The exhibition will be on display until 31 March 2011.
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